Małopolska - an introduction
10.03.2010
fot. A. Gębuś i A. Fryda
Geographic and historic background
Małopolska, Lesser Poland Region, is one of 16 administrative regions in Poland – the region is located in the southern part of Poland with Kraków (Cracow) as its capital. Małopolska is divided into 19 districts and 3 municipal districts (Kraków, Tarnów and Nowy Sącz).
The region covers an area of 15,000 km² (it is one of the smallest regions in Poland) and is advantageously situated geographically. Małopolska is favourably located. It benefits from being connected to the A4 highway and is within easy access of the Śląsk agglomeration and Poland’s southern border. These factors, together with the large consumer market in the region, make Małopolska a location with increasing investment potential, which, in the future should attract many investment projects.
Kraków (a capital of Małopolska) is located on the River Wisła and is one of the oldest cities in Poland, dating back to the 10th century. At present, it is the second-largest (after Warszawa) city in the country. Kraków is the most frequently visited tourist destination in Poland.
Population
In 2008 the population of the region was estimated to be 3.3m (51.5% of the population consisted of women), with over 0.8m people living in Kraków (approx. 24.2% of the population of Małopolska). According to 2008 figures, Małopolska has the fourth-highest population in Poland behind Mazowieckie Voivodeship (5.2m), Śląskie Voivodeship (4.7m) and Wielkopolskie Voivodeship (3.4m). Małopolska is the second most densely populated region in the country after Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship.
In 2008 the two age groups accounting for the largest sharesof Małopolska’s population were 20-24 years old and 24-29year old. In total, these age groups consisted of over 0.5m people, i.e. 17% of the total population of Małopolska in 2008. In Poland on the whole, these two groups consisted of approx. 6.4m people, i.e. 16.8% of the total population in 2008. Furthermore, in Kraków 0.14m people were between 20 and 29 years old, i.e. 18.0% of the city’s total population in 2008.
Transportation
Poland has several international airports that, together, serveover 20 million passengers every year. Kraków and other major cities in Poland offer multiple direct flights to Warszawa andto some West European hubs. Kraków-Balice International Airport is the second-largest airport in Poland. In 2005 the airport served more than 1.5m passengers, in 2006, 2007 and 2008t hese figures rose to 2.3m and 3.1m respectively. Currently there are direct connections with 52 European cities.
A shortcoming of the Polish road network is the low proportionof highways and dual carriageways in the network. With a totallength of almost 300,000 kilometres, Poland’s road networkis the fourth-largest in Europe, however, lack of investmenthas delayed much-needed maintenance and repairs. One-thirdof Polish roads are in need of a major overhaul. Despite slow progress on this front in the past, there are hopesfor a dramatic improvement in the situation, especially in the context of the Euro 2012 Championships.
Małopolska road network consists of the A4 Highway (Kraków-Katowice), 958 km of national roads, 1,368 km of regional roads, and 6,425 km of local powiat (or county) roads. Poland has an extensive rail network comprising 24,000 kilometres, which is regarded as one of the most developed in Central and Eastern Europe. However, the network is in need of a major upgrade. The rail system is currently being modernised with financial assistance from the European Union. Kraków Railway Station (Kraków Główny) is one of the biggest railway stations in Poland. Direct services to Warsaw, eitherby Inter City (IC) or Express (Ex) trains depart every hour. Furthermore, there are also indirect or direct connections to many European capital cities e.g. Prague and Vienna.
Quality of life
The region has an exceptionally high number of higher education establishments (34 tertiary schools), some of which are internationally renowned, such as the Jagiellonian Universityin Kraków. Furthermore, the Research & Development sectoris highly developed in Małopolska in comparison with otherregions (the region employs more than 12,400 people in thisfield, i.e. 12.7% of the total R&D employment in Poland) andt his is one of the main focuses of the local authorities.
Every year Małopolska hosts over 40 internationally renowned cultural events, e.g. Cracow Film Festival, Cracow Jewish Cultural Festival, Sacrum Profanum. Małopolska has 8 sites on the UNESCO world cultural heritagelist, including the Old Town in Kraków and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Furthermore, there are 6 national parks, 84 nature reserves and 11 landscape parks in the region.
the article from Doing Business - publication prepared by: PriceWaterhouseCoopers in the cooperation with MARR